Ifsm 300 stage 4

IFSM 300 Information System in Organizations

UMUC Fall Session

Clinton Hodge

Chesapeake IT Consultants

Business Analysis and System Recommendation

November 17, 2017

Introduction

Chesapeake IT Consultants (CIC) is an Information Technology consulting services firm that makes the most of IT and management technologies to successfully meet the demand of its customers. CIC has been successful and is now on the verge of growing significantly with two pending contracts that will require CIC to place significantly more IT consultants. Therefore CIC is requesting that a business analysis be done to identify an IT solution that will allow the company to hire and place consultants in a more efficient manner. This report will provide background on the hiring process and organizational analysis of the current hiring process. The report will also identify IT solutions and ways CIC can use IT to support the hiring process to help CIC reach its strategic and operational goals. Finally, this report will identify a hiring system and provide guidance for implementation of the system within CIC.

Organization Strategy

CIC’s business strategy is to provide “extraordinary consulting services” by hiring the best certified consultants that will keep up with the latest trends in IT and business. In order for CIC to meet its strategic goals, a new hiring process software is needed so that consultants can be placed effectively and efficiently. The new hiring process software will reduce the time it takes the hiring managers to evaluate a candidate’s skills and qualifications for placement with one of CIC’s customers. By reducing hiring and placement time, CIC will be able to compete for larger contracts and have the resources to hire international consultants.

Components of an Information System

In today’s society and organization people and technology plays an important role in organizations and businesses to achieve their objectives and goals. “Information system is the study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data” (Bourgeois, 2014, p. 5).

People and Technology

CEO: Alvin Morrison is concerned that the company can meet the needs of its customers in a timely manner. Although he is not as involved in the details of hiring and placing the consultants, he needs the new system to expedite the hiring process so that the company has the necessary staff to meet the demands of the customers when contracts are awarded.

CFO: Marianne Cho would like a cost-effective IT solution to improve the current hiring process, as well as a system that can work long term and add other needed tools. Specifically, she would like the system to track skills and certifications of present CIC staff.

CIO: Fadil Abadi is primarily concerned that the new IT solution is safe and does not cause any security breaches in the existing system. He is also concerned that the new system be compatible with mobile computing and be compatible with the present CIC hardware and software systems. In addition, because CIC is expanding globally, the CIO would like the new software to have the capabilities to effectively function without any barriers.

Director of HR: William Bradley understands that the hiring staff is struggling to meet the demands of processing candidates in a timely manner. His primary concern is that the new hiring system will be user friendly and able to enhance processes, and for it to interface with the existing system.

Manager of Recruiting: Suzanne Rodriguez is very excited about the interest in a new IT solution to help with the hiring and placement of consultants. She knows from contacts in the industry that technology can reduce the hiring time by 15-20% and efficiently process applicants quickly. Her primary concern is that the system is up and running before the next set of contracts are awarded.

Recruiters: Paul O’brien, Mac Thompson, and Juliet Jackson will be the primary users of the new system. The new system will improve the current process by consolidating all applicants by providing automated schedules of interviewees in a database to streamline the hiring process. The new hiring system will improve the recruiters’ time to screen resumes and immediately provide applicant’s information and status.

Administration Assistant: Ted Anderson is challenged daily with a tremendous amount of applicants’ paperwork and tracking the status of the applicants. The new hiring system will have the ability to manage the workflow electronically and improve the routing of applications and resumes to the interview team.

Hiring Manager is interested in a new hiring system that will take the place of the manual process and allow the Manager to quickly identify qualified candidates, as well as key skills and experience of CIC current staff members.

Processes

Processes are an integral part of an information system because it helps an organization take strategic steps to achieve their goal or objective (Bourgeois, 2014, p. 7).

Hiring Process Step

Responsible CIC Position

1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service Mail

Recruiter

2. Initial review of resume to determine if candidate should be interviewed

Recruiter

3. Forward resume to appropriate hiring manager

Administrative Assistant

4. Determine whether candidate should be interviewed

Hiring Manager

5. Contact candidate to inform her/him if s/he will be interviewed

Recruiter

6. Schedule interview with interview team members

Administrative Assistant

7. Interview the candidate

Hiring Manager and Interview Team Members

8. Provide feedback about the candidate

Hiring Manager and Interview Team Members

9. Make decision about whether to hire candidate

Hiring Manager

10. Determine details of offer including pay and start date

Hiring Manager

11. Inform candidate and negotiate offer if necessary

Recruiter

12. Administrative Assistant prepares and sends Hiring Offer to Selected Candidate by mailing offer letter

Administrative Assistant

“It is important that each recruitment be properly closed, including the notification of those interviewed and not selected, as well as all documentation associated with the recruitment” (University of California, n.d.)

Data

Data are an integral part of an information system because an organization uses data to make decisions and how they can improve (Bourgeois, 2014, p. 7).

Data Element

1. Name and contact information of candidate

2. Candidates educational background and certifications

3. Description of assignment and customer’s needs

4. Interview schedule for candidates selected to interview

5. Feedback from the interviewers

6. Determination about whether to hire candidate

7. Where candidate is placed

8. Terms of placement (start date, pay, etc.)

9. Feedback from customer about candidate

10. Certifications and notable skills of all CIC employees

Decision-Making

Because of the current problem CIC is facing with its hiring process, CIC needs a new hiring process software that will provide information to assist the decision makers in the hiring process at the strategic, managerial, and operational levels.

Role

Level

Example of Possible Decision Supported by Hiring System.

Senior/Executive Managers

(Decisions made by the CEO and the CFO at CIC supported by the hiring system.)

Strategic

The CEO needs to decide whether CIC has the resources to handle a contract that requires consultants with certain certifications.

The new system will capture information about candidates and existing employees including specific certifications and skill sets they possess.

Middle Managers

(Decisions made by the Director of HR and the Manager of Recruiting supported by the hiring system.)

Managerial

The Director of HR needs to decide how many recruiting staff members are needed to process the candidates for the next round of contracts.

The new system will interface with the existing system, be user friendly and reduce the time it takes to process the candidates.

Operational Managers

(Decisions made by the line managers in the organization who are hiring for their projects supported by the hiring system.)

Operational

A hiring manager needs to identify 3 candidates that possess a level of expertise in a particular software.

The new system will help managers to better review and select new staff with the right certifications for the awarded CIC contracts.

Communication

The new hiring system will improve communication internally and externally to expedite the hiring process with the use of an electronic dashboard. The dashboard will allow applicants to check their status and to submit any additional information that may be required. The new system will be web based and able to compile data that each department needs to process the candidates’ applications and resumes. The new system will provide a means for the information to be updated with interview schedules, feedback, and ultimately a hiring decision.

Collaboration

The new hiring system will increase collaboration during the hiring process by allowing the necessary employees to access information about the candidates at the same time. The system will allow the employees who interview the candidates to provide feedback, and to view the feedback provided by others. This information will allow the hiring manager to make a decision without having to track down the interviewers or having to wait for paperwork to get their feedback on the candidates.

Relationships

The new hiring system will assist the HR department communicate more efficiently with candidates about the status of their application. The system will contain information about the progress of the interview process, and it will help to facilitate a smoother and faster process for the candidates. This will allow candidates to be informed so that they are not left in the dark about whether they are a good fit for CIC, and it will help the candidates view CIC as a technologically advanced company.

Structure

The new hiring system will help to add structure to the process by streamlining how applicants are processed. The system will create a consistent flow of information about the applicant’s background, interview schedule, feedback from the interviewers, and the hiring decision. This will help all of the CIC employees who are involved in the hiring process to understand their specific roles and when their input is required to move the process forward. The new system will also create structure by maintaining all of the candidates’ information in a central location where all of the hiring team members can access it, which will allow the process to be more efficient and effective.

Competitive Advantage

The new hiring system will help CIC to efficiently employ consultants with the “new business concepts and technology” which will allow CIC to win new IT contracts. The new system will allow CIC to respond more quickly to customers who are seeking IT consultants so that CIC obtains the contract before any competitor. In addition, by streamlining the hiring process CIC can save costs that can then be passed on to the customer for more competitive rates. Having skilled certified staffing will allow CIC to be a world class provider of IT consulting services.

Strategic Outcomes

Strategic Goal (from case study)

Objective

(clear, measurable and time-bound)

Explanation

(2-3 sentences)

Increase CIC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT Consulting

Increase the number of skilled and certified consultants by 15% within 3 months.

The new hiring system will reduce the time it takes to process applicants and make hiring decisions, which will allow CIC to hire more consultants in a shorter timeframe.

Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis support to CIC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Increase international recruiting efforts and employ 5 research analysts in the next 12 months.

The new hiring system would allow applicants from around the world to apply online, increasing the number of international applicants. It would enable the recruiters to carefully monitor the applications for these positions, identify the necessary research and analysis skills needed, and screen resumes for these key skills. Recruiters could quickly view the number of applicants and identify when additional recruiting efforts are needed to meet the objective.

Continue to increase CIC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs

Reduce the time it takes to identify current CIC employees that have the required skills and certifications for a particular contract by capturing all of the current employees’ certifications within one month.

The new system will store data about each employees’ certifications in a searchable format so that the hiring managers can quickly identify how many consultants they have, and how many additional consultants they may need to hire. The new system will also identify the candidates that meet the criteria so that hiring managers can prioritize their applications.

Increase CIC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and innovative solutions for its clients

Increase competitive advantage by lowering the cost of CIC’s services by 10%.

The new hiring system will allow CIC to hire new staff from other countries, which will likely reduce the cost of labor. By reducing the cost that CIC pays out to its employees, CIC is able to pass along the cost savings to its customers.

Process Analysis

CIC Hiring Process

As/Is Process (copied from Stage 1)

To/Be Process

Business Benefits of Improved Process

1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service Mail.

Receive application via on-line submission through CIC Employment Website and files in applicant database.

More efficient submission process presents positive image to applicants and decreases time needed to receive and begin processing applications.

2. Initial review of resume to determine if candidate should be interviewed

Software conducts automated search of key words relevant to the job description

Automated initial review is more efficient and does not require time from HR staff.

3. Forward resume to appropriate hiring manager

Based on automated review, resumes for qualified applicants are automatically forwarded to hiring manager via email

Automated process allows hiring managers to receive pre-screened resumes more quickly to determine whether candidate should be interviewed.

4. Determine whether candidate should be interviewed

New system will prompt hiring manager to input whether candidate should receive interview

The hiring manager’s decision will be captured in the system which will allowing team members to have faster access to the initial decision.

5. Contact candidate to inform her/him if s/he will be interviewed

The system will generate an email to inform the candidate that they have been selected for an interview, and it will notify HR to follow up to get the candidates availability.

An automated email will keep the candidates informed more quickly which will make the company more attractive to the candidate.

6. Schedule interview with interview team members

New system will provide automated interview schedules for the selected applicants to streamline the hiring process

A streamlined process will allow candidates to be interviewed more quickly and allow HR staff to focus on other tasks.

7. Interview the candidate

The system can provide sample interview questions and assign key areas to assess for each interviewer.

A more organized interview process will allow the company to gather more information about each applicant.

8. Provide feedback about the candidate

The new system will collect feedback from the interviewers

The feedback will be accessible to all of the hiring team so that a final decision can be reached more quickly.

9. Make decision about whether to hire candidate

The system will send the hiring manager the feedback from the interviewers and prompt the manager to make a decision

A streamlined process will allow the hiring team to make a faster decision, which will give the company a competitive advantage.

10. Determine details of offer including pay and start date

The system could suggest a comparative salary range and benefit package based on the job requirements and the applicant’s background.

The system will compile salary information based on skills and experience, which will help the company to make competitive offers.

11. Inform candidate and negotiate offer if necessary

Once the details of the offer are completed, the system will prompt the hiring manger to contact the candidate to make the job offer.

The system will notify the hiring manger, which will save time and staff resources.

12. Administrative Assistant prepares and sends Hiring Offer to Selected Candidate by mailing offer letter

Ted prepares job offer letter by selecting information needed for specific candidate; system completes the template with stored information and Ted reviews and emails to candidate.

Recruiter selects offer information for candidate and electronically routes to Ted for processing and electronic mailing to candidate.

Requirement

Requirement Number

Requirement

Source (individual) from Case Study – name and title

U-1

New system to expedite the hiring process so that the company has the necessary staff to meet the demands of the customers

CEO: Alvin Morrison

U-2

New system be compatible with mobile computing and be compatible with the present CIC hardware and software systems

CIO: Fadil Abadi

U-3

New system to track skills and certifications of present CIC staff

CFO: Marianne Cho

U-4

New hiring system will be user friendly and able to enhance processes, and for it to interface with the existing system

Director of HR: William Bradley

UR-1

An electronic dashboard for status report

Director of HR: William Bradley, Hiring Manager

Recruiter

SS-1

New IT solution system is safe and does not cause any security breaches in the existing system.

CIO: Fadil Abadi

SS-2

The new system will allow international candidates to apply online

Director of HR: William Bradley

SP-1

The new system will be web based and able to compile data that each department needs to process the candidates’ applications and resumes.

Director of HR: William Bradley

Hiring Manager

SP-2

The new hiring system will increase collaboration during the hiring process by allowing the necessary employees to access information about the candidates at the same time.

Hiring Manager

Recruiter

SP-3

The new hiring system will help to add structure to the process by allowing all parties to view the candidates’ information such as the interview schedule

Hiring Manager

Recruiter

Systems Recommendation

A. Benefits of an Enterprise Solution:

B. Proposed IT Solution: The vendor I chose is Bamboo HR SAAS system. Bamboo HR SAAS system which is capable of creating custom workflows to be more efficient in your decision-making processes. Also, a great onboarding experience means increased retention and engagement. Find the right people faster. Helps HR reps get the best candidates. Save time, money, and trees with esignatures. Remove the hassle of distributing and collecting signed paperwork.

C. Proposed IT Solution: down-arrow

D.

E. How the proposed IT solution meets the requirements:

Req.

Number

Requirement

(from Requirements table in Section III)

Explanation of How the Proposed System Meets the Requirement

U-1

New system to expedite the hiring process so that the company has the necessary staff to meet the demands of the customers

U-2

New system be compatible with mobile computing and be compatible with the present CIC hardware and software systems

U-3

New system to track skills and certifications of present CIC staff

U-4

New hiring system will be user friendly and able to enhance processes, and for it to interface with the existing system

UR-1

An electronic dashboard for status report

SS-1

New IT solution system is safe and does not cause any security breaches in the existing system.

SS-2

The new system will allow international candidates to apply online

SP-1

The new system will be web based and able to compile data that each department needs to process the candidates’ applications and reduce the hiring time by 15-20%.

SP-2

The new hiring system will increase collaboration during the hiring process by allowing the necessary employees to access information about the candidates at the same time.

SP-3

The new hiring system will help to add structure to the process by allowing all parties to view the candidates’ information such as the interview schedule

F. Implementation Steps: First, insert an introductory opening sentence for this section

Implementation Areas:

1. Vendor agreement

2. Hardware and telecommunications SaaS vendors provide users with software and applications via a subscription model

3. Configuration: Bamboo HR SaaS system can assist CIC as needed with the system on-boarding. Bamboo HR SaaS HR Project Managers will take CIC’s company data and spreadsheets, migrate them into the BambooHR system, and will guide the entire process to have CIC up and running in no time.

4. Testing: CIC can use the free trial option to get an idea of what they will be paying for and make the decision if they will move forward with the software. By using the free trial they will have a better understanding of the software and if it meet their needs and demands. During the free trial CIC can test the Bamboo Hr system for requirement SP-2 by checking that the system is allowing the necessary employees to access information about potential candidates at the same time. Also, allowing the necessary employees to collaborate during the hiring process by giving and receiving feedbacks in real time. .

5. Employee preparation: The vendor has a dozen free videos and tutorials to help learn the system. Some of the topics include: Getting started, time off requests and approvals, understanding files and documents and configuring permission groups, and also the help section. If needed, CIC can also purchase custom training sessions and in-depth webinars to train your team or entire company on specific features.

a. Leadership

b. Change Management

c. Training

6. Data migration Data is secure in the cloud; equipment failure does not result in loss of data

7.

8. Maintenance Users do not have to manage, install or upgrade software; SaaS providers manage this

G. Conclusion

References

Bourgeois, D. (2014). Business processes. Information Systems for Businesses and Beyond, Washington, D.C.: The Saylor Foundation

CIPHR. (n.d.). Cloud HR Software | HR SaaS Solutions | CIPHR. Retrieved from http://www.ciphr.com/products/ciphr-saas/

University of California, Riverside. (n.d.). Human Resources: Recruitment & Selection Hiring Process. Retrieved from https://hr.ucr.edu/recruitment/guidelines/process.html

In-text Citations

(CIPHR, n.d.)